CELSIUS Brings the Thrill of the Track to the Supermarket Aisle

It is not every day you walk into your local supermarket and find yourself behind the wheel of a Scalextric car, racing for glory under the banner of Scuderia Ferrari. Yet this week in Milton Keynes, Morrisons shoppers are being invited to do exactly that. CELSIUS, the functional energy drink brand that has been steadily carving out space on UK shelves, has taken its global motorsport partnership and dropped it straight into the heart of the weekly shop.

The campaign, aptly named Get Race Day Ready, turns retail space into theatre. Positioned at the very front of Morrisons Westcroft, the large-scale installation is impossible to ignore. Shoppers are challenged to set their fastest lap on a bespoke Scalextric track, with names hitting the scoreboard and branded racing gear waiting for those who want to take home more than groceries. The set-up is fully shoppable too, with fridge units stocked with all four CELSIUS flavours and staff on hand offering samples to new converts.

It is a bold play that underlines CELSIUS’ strategy in the UK. Born in fitness and built on fuelling active lifestyles, the brand has always positioned itself as more than just liquid in a can. Commercial Director Nick Bentley explained that creating moments which excite and inspire has become essential in retail. For him, the Milton Keynes takeover is about connection. A simple store visit becomes an experience, one that places energy and lifestyle at the centre.

That sentiment is echoed by distribution partner Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I, who helped bring the activation to life. Sales Director Alpesh Mistry called it one of their one per cent executions – those rare occasions where a brand goes bigger and bolder to make sure shoppers cannot help but take notice. The CELSIUS campaign does exactly that, stopping people at the entrance and then drawing them into the story of a brand aligned with Ferrari, Formula 1 and an audience hungry for real-life interaction.

ZEAL, the creative agency behind the build, sees it as a sign of where retail is heading. Creative Director Carl Eatson noted that people now expect theatre in their shopping environments. Functionality is no longer enough. By bringing Ferrari spectacle into a Morrisons aisle, CELSIUS gives the supermarket an edge and the consumer a memory that goes beyond a transaction.

The activation runs until 7 October, but it is not just Milton Keynes that benefits. The campaign forms part of a much wider push across the UK and Ireland, supported by national promotions in grocery, independents and convenience stores, along with digital content on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. At its core is the chance to win a Vegas Race Day Experience at the Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix this November – a prize that cements CELSIUS’ ambition to move seamlessly between the supermarket floor and the global stage.

What makes this play interesting is the way it connects different worlds. Supermarket shopping is routine. Formula 1 is pure spectacle. CELSIUS is betting on the collision of the two to win over a young adult audience that is as comfortable scrolling on TikTok as they are sweating it out in the gym. Energy, in all its forms, has become cultural currency, and CELSIUS is intent on owning the space.

The real win for the brand lies in perception. With every lap raced and every can lifted from a Morrisons fridge, CELSIUS positions itself as not just an energy drink but an energy experience. For a company still in its relative infancy in the UK, it is a confident move that says much about where the brand is headed.

For those near Milton Keynes, the track is live until the end of the week. For everyone else, the Vegas competition awaits online. Either way, CELSIUS is making sure that when you think about race day, you think beyond the circuit and into the aisle.